


That's Just How I Roll

by NoSleepUntilVacation



Series: Papyton Week 2021: The Second One! [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: First Dates, M/M, Mettaton's got some feelings..., Rollerblades & Rollerskates, Skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 12:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30055800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoSleepUntilVacation/pseuds/NoSleepUntilVacation
Summary: A story of first dates and rollerskates.
Relationships: Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale)
Series: Papyton Week 2021: The Second One! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211084
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	That's Just How I Roll

**Author's Note:**

> "Noooo, you can't start writing Papyton Week 2021 stories! You still have a story from last year's Papyton Week to complete! STAHP!"
> 
> Me: haha inconsistent motivation go brrrrr
> 
> (Today's prompt was "first date".)

Nothing like a first date to set the nerves on edge; even if you and your date know each other well, each is still so worried about impressing the other.

And Mettaton knew from the start that Papyrus feared embarrassing him; it came with the territory of dating a celebrity. Papyrus... so worried about making a good impression on both Mettaton and any onlookers. If they went to a fancy restaurant, would he have to feign knowledge of all the intricacies of fine dining and small talk at the same time? What if someone from news media decided to interrupt? The last thing Mettaton wanted was to intimidate Papyrus, even by accident - and not just for the sake of their respective images.

The truth was, Mettaton had it _bad_ for this skeleton.

So bright, so bubbly, so easily able to boost the mood of anyone he spent even a couple of minutes with... and those handsome looks always made for a nice bonus. And yet, deep down, Mettaton always feared that Papyrus held a disconnect between Mettaton the celebrity and Mettaton the person. Sure, they had developed a friendship, and in that time Mettaton had told Papyrus about some of his least-proud moments, so Papyrus already knew that Mettaton wasn't perfect. But still, the media had a way of only presenting a celebrity's best side to the public, with any mistakes treated as much less forgivable than if a common person made them.

And the more time Mettaton spent around Papyrus, the more he wondered where Papyrus had been all his life - and the more he wondered about _that,_ the more he wondered about how to make sure Papyrus stayed in his life.

That was why, when the time came for their first date, Mettaton had invited Papyrus to come up with some ideas with him. Alongside the traditional restaurant idea, they came up with a few more: a scenic drive around town, a picnic near Mt. Ebott, a shopping trip in the historical district...

...and at one point, one of them mentioned the local roller rink. Both had been there separately a number of times - in fact, it was where Mettaton had learned to skate for his cameo as a rollerskating waiter in a movie - but they'd never been there together. After a little more discussion, they mutually agreed that the roller rink would be a good choice for their first date.

And they were right.

* * *

Various multicolored lights shone around the establishment as an upbeat pop song played over the speakers. Many of the rink's current patrons had taken the floor, whether just leisurely skating around or pulling off their best dance moves; Papyrus was among the latter, laughing and posing as he spun around.

Mettaton leaned back against a nearby railing and watched Papyrus have fun. He'd just had his own big dancing moment on the rink a few songs ago, and as much fun as it was to show off, watching others show off was just as fun. Honestly, Mettaton had been thinking about getting some food pretty soon; even he couldn't resist a good platter of mozzarella sticks now and then.

Maybe after this song? That way, he could offer to share with Papyrus if he was hungry too. Besides, Papyrus looked so happy on the floor - such a contrast to the bundle of nerves he'd been in the lead-up to the date. It helped that they could have a casual, fun time at the roller rink as their first date, instead of worrying right away about getting dressed up in fancy clothes and going to a high-end restaurant, with or without an impromptu interview and/or photoshoot. They could just be happy, and free, and...

...

Oh god, was he staring again? Would Papyrus mind?

He couldn't help it, though; Papyrus' enthusiasm had a way of rubbing off on others.

Soon enough, the song faded out, and as another skater complimented Papyrus' moves, Mettaton looked over to see if there was a line for the refreshments. He was about to head over and ask Papyrus if he wanted something...

...but then another upbeat song came on.

One of Mettaton's favorites, to be exact.

"Oh, my..." he muttered to himself. Well, maybe he'd skate to this song, and _then_ get refreshments? Yes, that could work.

As soon as he'd began making his way closer to the central part of the rink, Papyrus skated up to him.

"Mettaton! Would you like to skate with me? I know you like this song!"

Skating to a favorite song with someone he liked so much? How could Mettaton possibly refuse? He nodded, took Papyrus' hand in his own, and soon they were off.

A few onlookers paused to watch them, but neither of them cared all that much. They both laughed as they glided across the floor together, breaking out some dance moves under the glowing lights. They did figure-eights, they spun each other around, and Mettaton even jumped and did a split in midair while Papyrus skated backwards at one point in the song.

When Mettaton landed, he briefly looked back and smiled at the people who were watching him. "Don't try that at home, darlings!"

He took Papyrus' hand again, and they kept up their impromptu performance until the song was over. As the crowd applauded, Mettaton smiled at Papyrus, slightly exhausted but happy nonetheless.

"Thank you, beautiful. That was great... just like the Great Papyrus."

Papyrus' eyelights shone a little brighter at that statement. "Wowie..."

_Wowie_ was right, Mettaton thought. And he wasn't kidding when he said "beautiful". Just the sight of Papyrus' smile, in such happy circumstances, was enough to make Mettaton feel like smiling too.

"Well, darling, after that, I think I'd like to get something to eat, and maybe a soda or two."

Papyrus nodded. "I'm quite hungry myself! Did you know they have some quite delicious cookies here?"

They continued their conversation on their way to get their snacks - and Mettaton's heart fluttered as he wondered how many more happy memories he and Papyrus would make together.

**Author's Note:**

> https://papytonweek.tumblr.com/


End file.
